Gen Z college grads are flocking to Florida where companies have ‘overwhelmingly’ relocated their headquarters
Historically, recent college students have centered their post-grad lives on landing a job in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles that promise a lively lifestyle and often higher starting salaries (although the high cost of living quickly eats into that). But two places have emerged as new hotspots for Gen Z college grads: Florida and Texas. That’s largely thanks to a mass migration of publicly traded corporations’ headquarters since 2020. More from Fortune.
Helicopter facility opens in Florida Panhandle aviation park
Local, state and military partners took part in Thursday's grand opening of the Leonardo Helicopters U.S. maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Santa Rosa County. The new Florida Support Center is expected to bring in dozens of high-wage jobs and provide a boost to the economy in the Gulf coast community in the western Panhandle. More from WUSF.
Pinellas OKs hurricane recovery contract with Mississippi firm
Pinellas County has agreed to hire a company that will oversee managing millions of dollars for disaster recovery despite questions about its handling of similar efforts in the past. In a vote Thursday, commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Horne LLP, a Mississippi-based consulting firm, to oversee the implementation, administration and management of more than $813 million in federal money for hurricane recovery. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Transit fares stay flat as Miami-Dade leaders scrap austerity and pass budget
A planned increase in transit fares died Thursday night as Miami-Dade commissioners scrapped one of the last major austerity measures not already dropped by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in the lead-up to passing her $12.9 billion budget proposal. The 2026 budget keeps property tax rates flat and contains modest increases in trash and water fees. More from the Miami Herald.
Fort Myers airport reports record August passenger traffic
After just missing setting a record for total passengers in July, Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) got the job done in August. According to a press release from the Lee County Port Authority, 647,917 passengers traveled through RSW in Fort Myers in August. It is the best August in the 43-year history of the airport. The previous best August was in 2021 when 647,534 passengers were counted. More from the Fort Myers News Press and the Business Observer.
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Out of the Box
Personalized Labubus: Miami tattoo artist finds a side hustle in the toy trend
Before Jonathan Martin could finish setting up his table at the Magic City Flea Market in downtown Miami, he already had three customers in line. But they weren’t there for food or clothes — they were waiting to customize their Labubu figures. Labubus are soft, almost teddy bear-like plush figures. They’ve got round faces, big eyes and a signature toothy smirk. They’ve taken the internet by storm. While some fans are happy just to get their hands on one of the highly sought-after figures, others are taking things a step further: adding tattoos, piercings and rhinestones.
» Read more from WLRN.